Toy Store Hostage Crisis
by Swagnarok
Summary: The Detective Boys bring a mysterious new classmate shopping at Toys R We when a group of armed men barge in and hold everyone hostage. Even as they rough up Masumi and Haibara, and terrify Ayumi, Conan's strangely preoccupied with a game of Scrabble. Episodes 948-949.
1. Chapter 1

She opened the door. Elena was waiting.

"By all means, step inside and have a seat," Elena welcomed.

She did so. Elena took a sip of coffee.

"I want you to pick someone else for this assignment," Masumi said.

"Oh? And would this be because of yesterday's incident?"

Masumi was a bit surprised by this.

"Yes, your brother told me all about it. So that boy discovered the truth about you, no?"

Masumi shook her head. "Apparently he only knows half the story."

"And that would be the half about you having the XY chromosome?" Elena guessed.

"Yeah."

"If he knew the other half, do you think it would change his opinion any?"

"I'm not sure about that," Masumi said. "I'm not even sure that he'd believe me."

"So you haven't tried explaining it?" Elena asked.

"No."

"Is it perhaps because you don't feel like it makes a difference?"

Masumi was silent. And then...

"No, it doesn't. I'm a boy."

"A pity. I always figured you might one day make a good wife for Satoshi."

Masumi blushed. "Y-you really think so?"

But then she composed herself. "In any case, it doesn't matter, because Kudo also knows that I'm Ran's assigned guardian."

"So there's some kind of rule I don't know about saying he can't be allowed to know who that person is?" Elena said.

"Well..."

"I think you're being too hasty. Take the week to think about it, and then get back to me with your final decision. If you still want out, then I'll find somebody else."

 **Scene Transition**

The hallways of Teitan Primary were filled with kids heading to class.

As Haibara was walking, Conan approached her.

"Hey, we need to talk," Conan said.

She shrugged. "Okay."

They took a corner, where they were alone.

"Something's going to happen today," Conan said. "It's going to really surprise you. I need you to not overreact or give any indication of fear or discomfort. I already told Ran, and she understood."

"You say that, but I can't give any guarantees unless you tell me what it is first," Haibara said.

"We don't have time for me to explain," Conan said. "Class is about to start. But I can tell you that it'll be alright if you continue to act like a normal child."

"Hold on, is this related to the Men in...?"

But before she could finish, Conan started running to class. She sighed and followed after him.

 **Scene Transition**

Conan and Haibara walked into the classroom to find a crowd of kids gathered around Ayumi.

"What's this?"

"Ah, Conan! Haibara-san!" Mitsuhiko said. "Ayumi-chan was showing us a cool toy she got!"

Conan took a look at the mess on Ayumi's desk. "It just looks like wet clay to me."

"Oh, is that Wonder Putty?" Haibara asked.

"Wonder...Putty?" Conan asked.

Ayumi nodded excitedly. "You know how with modeling clay it's soft at first but then it turns hard and you can't do anything else with it? Wonder Putty turns soft again if you just apply water."

Conan nodded. Then he turned to Haibara. "How'd you know what it was?"

"Remember how a few days ago I slept over at Ayumi-chan's house?" Haibara said. "We were watching TV and they kept advertising that darned toy every other commercial."

"Yeah, and after that all I could think about was Wonder Putty," Ayumi said. "So yesterday I went with my mom to Toys R We and bought some."

"Toys R We?" Genta repeated.

"Hey, Kobayashi-sensei's here!"

All the students promptly returned to their seats.

With her was a young child, approximately the same age as the average student there at Teitan Primary.

Sumiko Kobayashi wrote the name on the board:

Shiro Ayamori.

"Students, say hello to Shiro. Shiro, say hello to your classmates."

Shiro looked out over the crowd of children, a blank soulless expression in his eyes.

 **Opening**

(Cup of Trembling by B'z)

(Each fresh breath of life is a fresh chance to start anew! In today's case, a toy store held at gunpoint! A new student at Teitan...with a terrifying secret! Perceiving the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, my name is...DETECTIVE CONAN!)

Above all, I'm afraid of you seeing me like this

The youthful vigor sapped from my bones

Too afraid to proceed, too afraid to turn back

A wretch, recoiling from my own shadow

Wallowing in self-pity like a pig wallowing in its crap

I can't check my phone, lest you might try to call

I can't live at home, lest you might try to visit

All I have left is the clothes on my back and

That dreaded bottle, whose contents I dare not drink

Oh I'm going nowhere, a pinwheel spinning in circles

This Cup of Trembling I now raise to my lips and swallow

So I may face the demons haunting my restless nights

I can't show my face to you until I can call myself a man

Until I've walked a full moon carrying my cross

 **The Toy Store Hostage Crisis! Part One!**

Shiro looked out over the crowd of children, a blank soulless expression in his eyes.

He had light brown hair and a fairly athletic build for a kid his age.

"Man, there's sure been a lot of new kids join our class in this past year," Mitsuhiko whispered to a classmate.

Genta looked at Haibara, who was sitting right next to him.

"Hey, Haibara-san, something wrong?" he asked. "You look like you seen a ghost or something."

"Genta?" Kobayashi-sensei said. "Were you saying something?"

"N-no ma'am," Genta said sheepishly.

"Shiro, say hello to your classmates."

"...Hi."

"Shiro's family recently moved to Tokyo from Okinawa Prefecture, so I expect everyone this school's body to welcome him and to include him in its activities."

"...May I take my seat now?" Shiro asked.

"Sure."

He walked to the very back of the class and took a seat at the left corner.

"Okay, so...where were we...? Oh yes, photosynthesis..."

As Kobayashi-sensei lectured on plant science, Haibara could feel her heart racing.

What the h*ll was he thinking? she thought. Bringing that person here...is he stupid or something? Is he totally unaware of the mortal danger that he's inviting to this school, and all of its students, all of these unsuspecting children? It isn't like him to demonstrate such horrible judgment. Is it...is it because of what he was ordered to do then...? Is this his way of atoning?...You're terribly selfish, Kudo-kun. And I share no responsibility if this comes crashing down on all of our heads.

Her body stopped shaking. She breathed calmly, turned her head to face Shiro, and smiled at him. Then she faced the teacher and pretended to pay attention to the lecture that she had already heard a decade ago.

 **Scene Transition**

School let out. It had to have been the longest school day of Haibara's life, but at last it was over. She hoped now that this boy would go home and part ways with them all, if only until tomorrow.

She and Conan walked side by side, a little bit ahead of the Detective Boys, who were talking excitedly about something.

"...Aren't you going to say something?" Conan asked. "After what you saw today?"

"No. I have nothing to say to you."

Then she walked faster and went on ahead of him, when...

Haibara stopped dead in her tracks. After Conan and the Detective Boys caught up, so did they.

"Jodie-sensei?" Ayumi said.

Indeed: Jodie Starling, former English teacher and current FBI agent, was talking to Nancy. Shiro was standing nearby.

"Ah-le-le?" Conan asked. "Jodie-sensei, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, Conan-kun!" Jodie said. "Nancy-kun was just asking permission to take Shiro-kun shopping."

"Wait a minute," Mitsuhiko said. "Hey Shiro, you're acquainted with Jodie-sensei?"

"Yeah," Jodie said. "I'm a friend of his parents, and he lives a good distance from this school, so I volunteered to drive him here and back on school days."

She glared at Shiro.

"Y-yeah, that's right," Shiro said nervously. "S-so, uh, can I, auntie Jodie? Pretty please?"

"Nancy, what's up?" Conan asked.

"I figured that we should do our best as a class to welcome Shiro-kun," Nancy said. "Ayumi-chan, you mentioned buying that clay stuff at Toys R We, right?"

Ayumi nodded. "Ah, so you want to bring Shiro-kun there? I'd like to come too! Just let me call my parents real fast!"

"Hold on," Jodie said. "Conan-kun, do you agree to keep a close eye on Shiro?"

Conan nodded. "I'll go with them. You can count on me."

"In that case, let's all go!" Mitsuhiko said.

"Not me. I'm out."

Haibara began to walk away, but Nancy grabbed her by the arm.

She looked Haibara in the eye, though as to say "You need to come with us."

After a few seconds' hesitation, Haibara sighed. "I guess I'm coming too."

Jodie gave Shiro one last dirty look and then she got into the car and drove off.

 **Scene Transition**

Inside Beika Mall was Toys R We, a very large toy store that had been open for 14 years.

Shinichi and Ran knew the owner, 59 year old Shunya Koshino, fairly well. Nine years ago the two of them showed up in his store hand in hand looking to buy a sleek new bicycle. It was quite expensive though. Even when they pooled their money together they didn't have enough to buy it. Coincidentally, Mr. Koshino had fired his janitor for repeatedly swearing in front of customers so when he saw that disappointed look on Shinichi's and Ran's faces he struck a deal with them: if they showed up in the afternoon every day for two weeks to sweep and mop his store, he would give them the bicycle for free. They kept at it for the two week duration and earned that glorious prize. They ended up returning it several days later because it was too big for then to ride.

Shiro walked inside the toy store and looked up at the ceiling. He looked awe-struck.

Mitsuhiko saw Shiro looking up. "It's pretty big, isn't it?"

It isn't just that, Haibara thought. It's that, to his perspective, a store like this would've seemed a lot smaller just a few days ago.

"So what are we gonna get here?" Genta asked.

"I'm not really interested in that clay stuff your friend Ayumi was talking about," Shiro said. "There's really just one thing I want here. And that's..."

Suddenly, there was a crash. Masumi Sera was lying on the floor, next to a fallen rack.

"Huh, what's Sera-no-neesan doing here?!" Mitsuhiko asked.

Tailing us, no doubt, Conan thought.

Masumi stood up and chuckled nervously. "Hi there. I was just..."

"Ah! Did you come here to buy Wonder Putty too?" Ayumi asked.

"Wonder what? Uh, no, my friend's birthday is coming up, so I came here to buy him a present. He's like a giant nerd and he's totally into board games and stuff like that."

I can't decide on whether I should get him Sattlers of Catan, Monchkins, or Zumbie Dice, she thought.

Masumi could hardly avoid the incredibly hostile glare on Conan's face. "Uh, okay, I was just about to leave, so..."

"EVERYBODY FREEZE!"

 **Scene Transition**

The monitor beeped consistently and steadily. The subject's heart rate was stable.

"...It's been a whole day," he said.

"Does this mean it works? At long last?"

"...Yeah. We've done it, Boss. We've finally transplanted an Altar Organ into an anatomically modern human. I would like to run a few more tests, but at the same time it looks like now we can move on to Phase Three. And with it, we now have the means to put our half of The Plan into motion."

"Speaking of which, has that person's status been determined yet?" Yoko Okino asked.

"No. It should only prove a matter of time though," Mezcal said. "We should receive the signal soon enough."

 **Scene Transition**

"EVERYBODY FREEZE!"

A man wearing a ski mask fired a shot at the ceiling. The sound rippled through every corner of the toy store.

A second assailant pointed his gun at the sleazy cashier guy with a tattoo. "You, close shop now! No one comes in here and nobody leaves!"

Mitsuhiko was about to run for the exit but Shiro grabbed him by the shoulder and shook his head. "Don't do it. Do you want to live or not?"

The cashier came out from behind the counter and did as he was told. He locked up the entrance and then went around to the back to lock that side too.

Then he was about to go back behind the counter when...

"Hold it. We know there's a panic button back there."

"EVERYBODY, LISTEN UP!" a third guy, who was quite burly, said. "Head to the center of the store! If anybody tries to run we won't hesitate to shoot!"

The approximately seventeen innocent customers in the store at that time along with six employees headed to the center of the store.

"Alright, now, sit down!"

Everyone sat down.

Conan looked around. As far as he could see, there were seven assailants in total. One of them was holding...

A spray bottle?

Ayumi startled sniffling. "I wanna leave."

Crap, Conan thought. If she starts crying, then...

Haibara put her hand on Ayumi's shoulder. "Ayumi-chan, right now it's important that you be strong and not cry. You should save your tears for when we're..."

"Quiet, you! No talking!"

As the hostage takers went around confiscating everyone's cell phones, Conan looked around again, this time at the shelves. He noticed that they were in the board game section. That gave him an idea.

"Hey, mister, I'm bored," he whined.

"No talking, brat!"

"Hey, hey, I just realized we're in a toy store, right?" Conan said.

"I said, SHUT UP!"

"But I'm bored," Conan whined. "If you'll just let us play with something here, I promise we'll be quiet."

One hijacker talked it over with another for a few seconds. And then...

"All right. The children are allowed to play quietly."

Conan got up and grabbed a game off a shelf.

"Hey, Conan, what's that?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"Quiet!"

The game was titled _Hyper Scrabble_. It was a variant of the game which included symbols like numbers, apostrophes, periods, exclamation marks, question marks, etc.

Conan sat down and calmly spilled out all the pieces onto the floor.

"How can you play games in a time like this?" Genta asked.

Ignoring his obese comrade, Conan found enough tiles to piece together the following:

F T

L 4 7 -

L

The middle left L was rotated 180 degrees clockwise. The bottom left L was rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise. The middle top F was rotated counterclockwise 90 degrees. The middle 4 was rotated 180 degrees clockwise. The top right T was rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise.

Then, right next to this Conan pieced together another weird string of digits and symbols:

\- "

/ ? \

The question mark was rotated 180 degrees.

Nancy looked at what Conan was doing. She started at it with a blank look on her face, as did Genta.

Shiro then looked at it, stared at it for a few seconds, and smiled.

He sat down and began piecing together weird combinations alongside Conan.

"Great, we're all being held hostage and Conan's playing with English letters," Mitsuhiko said.

Ayumi's whimpering was getting louder.

"Somebody shut that child up!" one of the hostage takers said.

Haibara got up angrily. "She can't help it if she's scared! It's your fault for putting her in this situation!"

The man grinned. "Somebody forgot to teach you respect, kid. I'll be happy to oblige."

He moved towards her.

Suddenly Masumi stood up and incapacitated the man with a kick to the groin. She grabbed his gun and made a run for it, presumably to attempt some kind of Rambo-style takeout of all the gunmen.

But then suddenly two men emerged from a corner and pointed their guns at her. She stopped dead in her tracks.

Thinking Masumi was a teenage boy, one of them hit her with the butt of his rifle. She fell to the ground and the two men began pummeling her while she was down.

Haibara angrily ran to Masumi's defense, biting one of the assailants in the leg.

In response, one of them punched Haibara square in the face, sending her flying two feet and knocking her out.

"Haibara-san!" Mitsuhiko cried out.

"Hey! What's going on?"

The man with the spray, presumably the leader of the group, came into sight.

The two men stopped what they were doing. "This boy's causing us serious trouble! And so's that girl!"

"Put them in a corner somewhere and tie them up. Sheesh."

One man grabbed Masumi and another simply picked up Haibara's unconscious body.

Conan looked on for a moment but then resumed playing with Scrabble pieces.

"A-Ai-chan," Ayumi whimpered.

"Conan-kun, why aren't you doing something?" Mitsuhiko pleaded. "You usually know what to do in times like this."

No answer. Instead, Conan started playing faster, like a man possessed.

 **Ending**

(Spirit by Rina Aiuchi)

There are only two kinds of people in this complex world

Those who'll fight for what's precious and everyone else

Sometimes I lay awake at night wondering why this is

Is it perhaps that we believe all hope is already lost?

It takes a lot less effort to tap out and forfeit the prize

Hang our heads in shame and defeat, a prisoner of war

Too many voices have cried out "Awaken, thou that sleepest!"

What we need is soothing balm so these bones may stir again

Come, you and me, together let's put on a show for the ages

Hurry, the curtain rises, the epic drama begins to unfold!

Oh you graceful swan, dancing in the middle of the downpour

All the world's your stage, and every eye is fixed on you

You've got heart, and nobody can ever take that away from you

Give them what they came for, the indomitable human spirit!


	2. Chapter 2

_Mezcal walked into the lab. The time was 10:08 AM._

 _Hmm? He thought. So it isn't just me today, huh?_

 _He looked at his watch, and then..._

 _"Sorry I'm late!"_

 _Shiho stepped inside holding a small package._

 _"What's that?"_

 _"I remember you saying a few months back that today's your birthday, so here!"_

 _She handed him the package._

 _He stared at the package in his hands incredulously. She had a big smile on her face, so as to signal "Well go on, open it!"_

 _"Is this some kind of prank?" he asked._

 _"No!" she said, disappointed that he'd even think that._

 _He stared at it for another second and then laid it down on the table so as to open it._

 _It was a pair of nail clippers._

 _"I noticed that you have a motor tic which causes you to spontaneously clench your left fist," Shiho said. "You tend to not trim your fingernails, and I can only imagine that makes it slightly painful. I mean, you are stabbing yourself, after all. So if you keep them really short, it won't hurt, or at least not as much. Also, research would suggest that you can reduce the frequency of tics by having a balanced, nutritional diet and getting a proper amount of sleep."_

 _"...I-I don't know what to say. Nobody's ever given me such a thoughtful gift. Thank you, Sherry. And I mean it. Now I kinda feel bad for not getting you anything. If I'm not mistaken, today's also your birthday, right?"_

 _"Yup," Shiho said excitedly. "My eighteenth birthday. I'm an adult now! Tonight, Akemi's gonna take me to play laser tag with some of her college friends."_

"Ai-chan? Ai-chan, wake up!"

 **Scene Transition**

"Ai-chan! Please, answer me! Ai-chan!"

Haibara opened her eyes. Tied up right next to her was Masumi Sera.

Masumi sighed in relief.

"...You protected me, back there," Haibara recalled.

Masumi chuckled nervously. "W-well, I didn't do a very good job, apparently."

 **Scene Transition**

As Conan played Scrabble, he kept note of his surroundings. The hijacker with the spray bottle had gone about finding random objects and spraying them.

"Hey," Nancy whispered. "Why do you think he keeps doing that?"

"HEY! No whispering!"

Conan was silent.

By this time a young woman, one of the store's employees, had joined Conan and Shiro in the game, as one of the gunmen looked on.

 **Scene Transition**

Kogoro arrived home. He put his coat on the hanger.

"I'm home!" he said.

He walked around the house and found that it was eerily quiet. He went into the kitchen, where Eri was cleaning dishes.

"Shouldn't those brats be home by now?" Kogoro asked.

"They're at a toy store with a new friend," Eri said. "Nancy told me on the..."

Suddenly Kogoro's phone started ringing. He looked at the display.

Geez, how did that girl know my number? he thought, annoyed.

He answered. "Hello?"

"Mouri-san, turn on Nichiuri TV right now! It's about Conan and Nancy!"

Heeding Sonoko's words, Kogoro rushed to turn on the TV.

"The hostage crisis at Toys R We in Beika Mall continues to unfold as..."

Eri dropped the big red plate she was holding. It shattered.

 **Opening**

(Cup of Trembling by B'z)

(Each fresh breath of life is a fresh chance to start anew! In today's case, the hostage crisis continues! A secret code, and a recent unresolved murder! Perceiving the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, my name is...DETECTIVE CONAN!)

Above all, I'm afraid of you seeing me like this

The youthful vigor sapped from my bones

Too afraid to proceed, too afraid to turn back

A wretch, recoiling from my own shadow

Wallowing in self-pity like a pig wallowing in its crap

I can't check my phone, lest you might try to call

I can't live at home, lest you might try to visit

All I have left is the clothes on my back and

That dreaded bottle, whose contents I dare not drink

Oh I'm going nowhere, a pinwheel spinning in circles

This Cup of Trembling I now raise to my lips and swallow

So I may face the demons haunting my restless nights

I can't show my face to you until I can call myself a man

Until I've walked a full moon carrying my cross

 **The Toy Store Hostage Crisis! Part Two!**

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had completely surrounded Toys R We. No one would be able to enter or exit unless they tunneled under the building or something.

Or something.

Megure arrived onto the scene. An officer handed him the phone.

"This is Inspector Megure. I take it you're one of the hijackers?"

"Yes siree. We've got all these lovely hostages in tow and, well, I really want to snap one of their necks. It's taking considerable effort to restrain my bloodlust, so I'd like some kind of reward for that."

"Cut to the chase. Is it money you're after?"

The man laughed. "What I want from you is so much more than that. But for now, money will do quite nicely. In a half hour's time, you will leave a bag with ¥600,000,000 Yen in cash at the entrance. We'll have one of the hostages momentarily unlock the door and retrieve the money. If you try anything, I swear I'll put a bullet through somebody's head. You got me?"

Megure nodded. "I understand completely. What will become of the hostages after that?"

"After we've got the money, we'll let ourselves out. You don't have to worry about that. I can guarantee you that if both the police and the hostages do as they're told, nobody will die today. But otherwise..."

With a last cackle, he hung up.

 **Scene Transition**

The man was within audible distance of Conan.

This confirms my theory, he thought. Along with this woman's testimony, I can be sure enough of the situation to proceed with my plan.

He got up and walked over to Genta. He put his hand in Genta's pocket and grabbed a Detective Boys badge, and Genta didn't resist.

"Hey, Conan, what are you going to do with that?" Genta whispered.

"How many times do we have to tell you people not to talk?!" the nearby gunman said.

Conan sat back down and continued to play the game of Scrabble with Shiro. After a minute and a half, they looked each other in the eye and nodded. Conan handed him Genta's badge and the Voice-Changing Bowtie. Shiro put these in his pocket, and Conan slipped on his backpack.

They both stood up simultaneously.

"Hey, mister, we have to go pee," Conan whined, grabbing himself and jumping up and down like a little kid.

The guard sighed in annoyance. "Hold on a second. Yo, Take, come here real fast!"

The fellow gunman did so.

"Bring these two brats to use the bathroom. And don't let them dawdle in there."

The gunman nicknamed Take nodded. "You two, come with me. Pronto!"

 **Scene Transition**

On their way to the bathroom Conan and Shiro passed by Haibara and Masumi, who were both tied up.

Because they were tied up, and because they were separate from the other hostages, there wasn't one guard watching them the whole time, which was why they were free to converse.

"Is he heading for the bathroom?" Masumi asked.

"Looks like it."

"...I wonder if me standing up for you back there changed anything in his eyes," Masumi said.

"Probably not."

"That's what I thought."

There was silence, and then...

"Are you in love with Ran?"

Masumi was taken back by the question, but then she sighed calmly. "No. I am not, and if you continue to think that I am, then that's your choice, because I've made myself perfectly clear just now."

"I believe you," Haibara said.

"Huh? For real?"

"Kudo-kun doesn't have a medical background like I do. Because of this, he can only see one solution to the mysterious case of Masumi Sera."

"And you've figured out the truth?"

"Indeed. Or so I think, but I think that my guess is well educated enough. You were born with Swyer Syndrome, correct?"

"Huh?" Masumi said, a bit shocked. "Did Satoshi tell you?"

"No, you just did. In genetics, the 23rd chromosomal pair is the one that determines sex. The father can donate either an X or a Y chromosome. The mother can only donate X. Since the Y chromosome is dominant, that means the offspring will be male if a single Y chromosome is present. Likewise, the default allosomal pairing in the absence of the Y Chromosome is XX. If the female "default" is the case, then the embryo/fetus will begin the development of female characteristics and organs, such as the sex organs. If a single Y chromosome is present, however, the default programming towards female bodily development will not be activated. Rather, masculine bodily development will take place instead."

"For the vast majority of boys and men, this is a cut and dry biological process," Haibara continued. "But with a tiny percentage of people, male development does not take place despite the Y chromosome being present, and by default then female development is not halted, meaning that this person with the Y chromosome will be born female, and this person shall be as such for the entirety of her life. There are, of course, some side effects. When Kudo-kun and the others first met you, they were shocked to find that you packed secondary sex characteristics such as breasts. Likewise, as you have the XY chromosome you cannot conceive and bear children like an actual woman could, for lack of a better term. To be clear, this describes you?"

Masumi nodded a bit sheepishly. "I never wanted for Shinichi or Ran to find out. Or you, for that matter...But I suppose the alternative is for them to believe me a pervert, right?"

"Whenever you decide to come clean, I'll be there to back you up," Haibara promised.

Suddenly there was a bunch of commotion around the bathrooms.

"Hey, they escaped!"

"How the h**l did this happen, Take?!"

"Dunno, they were in there one moment and then the next they're gone!"

"Man, you're useless! There's only one way they could've escaped! And that's through..."

Haibara and Masumi looked each other in the eye.

"The air vent."

 **Scene Transition**

Conan and Shiro were now crawling through different sections of the ventilation shaft.

Conan took out his Detective Boys badge and turned it on.

"Hey, Shiro, are you there?"

After a few seconds of silence...

"Yeah. Finally, we can speak again. I must say, that secret method of communication was awfully clever for a little boy like you."

"I read about it in a Detective Samoji book," Conan excused.

"Maybe, but what you did today would not be possible without a high level of proficiency in Kanji and English, much higher than a child your age should be capable of."

"W-what are you talking about?" Conan said, trying to cover his tracks. "You're a kid too, aren't you, Shiro?"

"Hmph. One day we're going to have a lengthy conversation about this. But for now, there are much more pressing matters at hand. You said that you had figured out what was going on here?"

"Yeah. It was that man's demands to the police that confirmed it for me. By my count, there are seven hijackers here. Yet he only demanded ¥600,000,000 Yen. Why not ¥700,000,000, so each participant in this hijacking can have ¥100,000,000?"

(Author's Note: 100 Yen is worth roughly 1 dollar . Therefore, ¥600,000,000 Yen is equivalent to $6,000,000 U.S. Dollars.)

"I'll admit that does seem strange," Shiro said.

"Is it perhaps because one of the men won't need to be paid?" Conan said. "Perhaps because he'd never be able to use that money anyway?"

"Hold on, what do you mean?" Shiro asked.

"Remember what that lady wrote? A week ago, an employee here died in an accident."

"Yeah, she said his name was Kanzo Sorashita, right? A teenager."

"Supposedly he slipped on the wet floor and hit his head against the edge of a countertop. The police ruled it an accident and didn't investigate further."

"But what's that got to do with our present situation?" Shiro asked.

"Everything, I suspect," Conan said. "Anyhow, right now we should focus on the plan."

"Smuggling a note out of here?"

"Yeah. When the hijackers first made themselves known, I thought I saw a conspicuous looking bag with them. If that bag contains what I think it does, then I know how they're planning to escape."

"Hence, the police will need to be informed to prevent their efforts from succeeding, right?"

"Yeah. Not only that, but their approach to escaping could easily put lives at risk. Here's the plan: you know how I handed you that bowtie?"

"Yeah? So?"

"It isn't an ordinary bowtie, I'll tell you that. Look on the back of it. What do you see?"

"Some kind of knob."

"If you turn the knob you can change the settings, but for now I've set it to the voice of those people's leader."

"The voice of?" Shiro asked, confused.

"Yeah. That's my voice-changing bowtie, granted to me by a certain Professor who I know. Put it up to your mouth and speak, and you'll find that your voice is radically different."

"Like this?" Shiro asked in an adult male voice.

"You got it. I need you to crawl around these vents and use the voice-changing effect to divert their attentions so as to buy me time to have a brief chat with the others."

" _Wakarimashita_. You can count on me."

 **Scene Transition**

"Hey, you guys oughtta come see this!"

One of the guards looked menacingly at the hostages. "You better not go anywhere."

Then the three nearby guards ran off to a far corner of the room, leaving the hostages by themselves.

Some of the hostages were visibly considering running when...

"Psst! Psst, up here!"

The Detective Boys looked up at the air vent above their heads.

"Hmm, for a second there I could've sworn I heard Conan's voice coming from the ceiling," Genta said.

"Guys, it's me!" Conan whispered loudly.

"There, I heard it again," Genta said unsuspectingly.

"C-Conan?" Nancy said.

"I don't have a lot of time, so you guys need to listen carefully," Conan said.

"We read you loud and clear, Conan," Mitsuhiko said. "What is it?"

"I've written up a message for the police," Conan said. "It's imperative that they get it, so I need someone to volunteer to go out for the hostages and retrieve their money."

"An, so that person can use the opportunity to hand over the message, right?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"You got it. To be clear, the hostages will be looking for someone who's part of a group to volunteer."

"Huh? Why?" Genta asked.

"Because that person won't dare run off lest his or her friends and family back in here be punished for it by the hijackers," Nancy said. "Am I right, Conan?"

"Yeah. The more friends or family someone has being held here, the more likely that person will be picked."

"Wait, we came here as a large group," Mitsuhiko said. "So that would mean..."

"Correct. Most likely, one of you guys will be made to do it. It probably won't be Masumi or Haibara, since they've already demonstrated their defiant spirit to the hijackers. Now, take this!"

He dropped the slip of paper. Nancy picked it up.

"How'd you find something to write on?" Genta asked.

"He brought his school backpack with him up there, right?" Mitsuhiko said. "I think I saw him carrying it when he got up to go to the bathroom."

"Nancy, if someone other than you is picked, give them the paper," Conan said. "Ah, one more thing. Ayumi-chan? Hey, Ayumi-chan!"

Ayumi reluctantly looked up.

"Did you hear what I said?" Conan asked.

"A little bit," Ayumi said, a very sad look on her face.

"Ayumi-chan, it's possible that they'll pick you," Conan said. "If that happens, I need to know that you'll deliver the message."

Ayumi hesitated.

"Ayumi-chan, this is important! Please!"

Ayumi looked down, clenched her fists, and then looked back up. "Okay. I'm tired of being a crybaby. Whatever it is you need me to do, I'll do it, Conan-kun."

"That's the spirit. Alright, I'll come down there with you guys in just a few minutes. Hang on, and be brave. Until then."

"Conan?" Mitsuhiko said. "Conan, are you still there?"

No answer.

 **Scene Transition**

The hijackers looked at the hostages intently. And then...

"You."

The burly man in a mask pointed straight at Ayumi.

"M-me?"

"You heard me, brat. We got a little errand for you to run for me and my pals."

"Let me guess, you want her to go fetch a bag of money?" Nancy said.

"Well ain't you the smart one. You heard her, brat? At the entrance of the store there's gonna be this big heavy bag. We want you to go outside and bring it in. You think you can handle that? All you have to do is bring it in and we big boys will handle the rest. Whether you carry it or slide it ain't no concern of ours. But don't even think about running, or we'll kill all your friends one by one. You got that?"

Ayumi nodded reluctantly.

"Yo, here comes a cop now! And he's got a bag with him!"

"Alright, kid, make us proud."

As the hijackers snickered, Ayumi passed by Nancy, who slipped the note in her pocket.

Ayumi went up to the front and opened the door.

She walked up to Officer Takagi.

"A-Ayumi-chan?" he said.

She handed him the slip of paper.

"Conan-kun told me to give this to the police," Ayumi said.

Takagi nodded. "Will you need help with that bag?"

"N-no," Ayumi said, grunting to lift it. "If a police officer comes back in with me, that could be very bad."

She managed to get the bag inside and closed the door, waving one last time to Officer Takagi and to her freedom.

 **Scene Transition**

Alright, Ayumi did it, Conan thought, peering through a hole. Now this charade can come to an end.

"Hey, Shiro," Conan said to his Detective Boys badge. "That's good. I want you to come down now and surrender yourself to the hijackers."

"What? Why?"

"Trust me. I'll be down in a minute."

Conan opened the hatch. He jumped out of it towards the ground below. Mid-air he deployed the instant inflatable soccer ball from his belt, which quickly grew massive and cushioned his fall.

Three hijackers surrounded him.

Conan raised his hands in surrender. "Take me to your leader. The man with the spray bottle."

One of them scoffed. "And why would we do that?"

"Idiot, I came down of my own volition," Conan said. "I have a very important matter to discuss with him."

 **Scene Transition**

They brought Conan before the visibly frustrated man with the spray bottle.

"Huh?"

"Yo, this kid demanded that we take him to you. Said he had important business or something."

"I don't have time for this," the man said with a growl.

"You're Mister Sorashita, correct?" Conan asked.

H-huh, the man thought. "W-who told you that?"

"Yo, we found that other kid!" somebody in the background said.

Conan smiled. "Like I said, I have important business with you. First off, I know why you organized this hijacking, I know what you're looking for, and I know how to attain what you're looking for, something which money can't buy."

That look on Mr. Sorashita's face made it clear he was interested in what Conan knew.

"I'd like to have a talk with you, Sorashita-san, but first, I'd like you to gather everyone here, hijackers and hostages alike, in one place, including my two friends who your men tied up in the back."

"Yo, mister, you ain't actually gonna listen to this kid, huh?"

"Do it," he ordered to the hijackers with a sharp tone in his voice.

 **Scene Transition**

Finally, everyone was gathered in one place.

"The first thing to be noted is that Mr. Koshino likes to hire people with criminal histories. The cashier had a tattoo marking him as a member of the Yakuza. He likely spent time in prison for some offense."

"I-it's true," the cashier admitted. "I was associated with the trafficking of teenage girls, and I spent four years in the joint as part of a plea bargain. When I got out, I struggled to find work until Mr. Koshino approached me and offered me a job. A-and it isn't just me. Several other guys working here have pasts."

"The reason for this is simple," Conan said. "Ex-cons would be less likely than most other people to report criminal activities going on around them. Including in their workplace. Mr. Koshino, who I would assume fortunately didn't show up at work today, was involved in tax evasion. That being said, I guess a few of his employees have clean backgrounds, such as the nice lady who played Scrabble with us. One such employee here was your son, 19 year old Kanzo Sorashita. He discovered the discrepancies in this store's actual and reported sales, so I'm guessing that he confronted Mr. Koshino about it during one night shift. Desperate, Mr. Koshino took some blunt object and hit him in the back of the head, killing him. There were other employees present that night, all of them ex-cons, and Mr. Koshino threatened to fire them unless they all testified together that Kanzo's death was accident. That, he slipped on a wet floor and hit the back of his head on a countertop corner rather hard. Confronted with multiple supposed witnesses, the police ruled it an accident and didn't investigate."

"That conclusion didn't satisfy you, though," Conan continued. "You refused to accept that your son's death was an accident. You went to the police and demanded that they investigate more thoroughly. But they turned you down, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Mr. Sorashita said angrily. "I couldn't just break in during the middle of the night and search for the murder weapon, else I might be quickly caught and arrested for breaking and entering. Likewise, if I went in broad daylight and started investigating, they'd certainly bar me from their premises. So I found a third option."

"You assembled a team of lowlife thugs to hold this place at gunpoint so that nobody would interfere as you conducted your search, right?" Haibara guessed.

Mr. Sorashita nodded. "The terms were simple. While we're here, I'd phone the police and demand ¥600,000,000 for my six partners to split."

"There remains, of course, the question of how you're going to escape," Conan said. "The police have surrounded the front and back of this place. For that purpose, you brought a little something extra. That bag right over there, it contains explosives, correct?"

All the hostages gasped.

"Enough to blow a big hole in the side wall," Conan said. "On the other side of that wall right there is a beauty products store. The police wouldn't think to station men in there, so you'd have a pretty decent shot of escaping that way. Of course, your hired men are all professional criminals. They could easily go out and hijack some store somewhere without you, except that you offered them something in exchange. You offered to be their sacrificial lamb."

"It's clear that you only want one thing," Conan continued. "Justice for your son. So you're willing to go to prison, so long as you're able to find the murder weapon and have your son's killer get what he deserves. So what you're offering these men is to let the police arrest you, after which you'd give a false testimony of who your accomplices were, letting them all of the hook. The reason you carry around that spray bottle is because it contains Luminol, correct? You'd be able to identify the murder weapon by testing it with Luminol to see if it has traces of blood on it, right?"

Mr. Sorashita nodded.

"However, that look on your face makes it as clear as day," Conan said. "You haven't found the murder weapon yet, and you know that if this hostage scenario goes on for much longer the police will finally get tired of waiting and storm the building. So at this point, you don't have a lot of good options. In fact, it's very possible that Mr. Koshino disposed of the weapon elsewhere, that you won't be able to find it here. That's why I wanted to talk to you, mister: to give you another option."

Mr. Sorashita was practically shaking by this point. "T-tell me what it is!"

"Surrender yourself to the police immediately, and give them the identities of your accomplices. I have friends in high places, so I'm in a position to promise you that if you do this, certain people will make sure that your son's death is investigated fully, as a murder and not as an accident."

The man fell to his knees. He looked down at the floor. "...Who are you, kid? No, a better question is...what are you?"

"Conan Edogawa. A Detective. Do you agree to my terms?"

"...Yeah."

One of the hijackers pointed his gun at Mr. Sorashita.

"...W-what are you...?"

The hijacker grinned. "Hmph. You were gonna betray us, huh? Okay, boys: new plan! We're gonna pick six people here to switch clothes with us. And then..."

He walked over and retrieved the bag of explosives. He brought it to the center of the building where everyone was gathered.

"Nice one, boss! You mean'ta say dat we're gonna...?"

It's now or never, Conan thought. "Hey, Sera-no-neechan! Cover for me! Quick!"

Masumi sprang to her feet and went ballistic on the hijackers. Conan ran to the bomb bag, unzipped, set it for ten seconds, and turned it on.

"W-what the h*ll?!" one of the hijackers said. "The kid just turned the bomb on!"

Conan took a step back, activated his power-enhancing kick shoes, and kicked the bomb bag high into the air.

"Game over," Conan declared.

BOOM

 **Scene Transition**

The bomb hit the ceiling and detonated. Immediately, cracks began to manifest themselves in the ceiling. And the cracks only grew.

"T-the ceiling's gonna give way!" one of the hijackers said.

"SCREW THIS! EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!" another hijacker said.

And with that, the distinction between hijacker and hostage dissipated immediately. Every person present concerned themselves simply with getting out of Toys R We before the building collapsed on top of them.

Everybody ran like there was no tomorrow.

But then...

Nancy tripped over her shoelaces. Masumi, who was almost at the door, stopped and turned to see Nancy/Ran.

She turned around and bolted towards Nancy. She grabbed her, picked her up, and made one last desperate rush for the finish.

Suddenly, a piece of debris fell and blocked the door. So with no other recourse left...

Masumi used her jacket to shield Nancy as the two of them smashed through the glass.

They rolled a few feet out into the mall, like three seconds before the building collapsed on itself.

Everybody had made it out in time, and the police promptly surrounded and arrested the hijackers. It was over.

A few hours later, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police received a phone call from Shinichi Kudo, who informed them that Kanzo Sorashita's death was most likely a murder. This prompted a police investigation which, after three days, yielded the murder weapon in a landfill. On it was the blood of Sorashita and the fingerprints of Mr. Koshino. Subsequently, the employees who were present on that fateful night all confessed to Mr. Koshino having committed the crime, and soon afterwards Mr. Koshino himself admitted to the crime and was arrested.

 **Ending**

(Spirit by Rina Aiuchi)

There are only two kinds of people in this complex world

Those who'll fight for what's precious and everyone else

Sometimes I lay awake at night wondering why this is

Is it perhaps that we believe all hope is already lost?

It takes a lot less effort to tap out and forfeit the prize

Hang our heads in shame and defeat, a prisoner of war

Too many voices have cried out "Awaken, thou that sleepest!"

What we need is soothing balm so these bones may stir again

Come, you and me, together let's put on a show for the ages

Hurry, the curtain rises, the epic drama begins to unfold!

Oh you graceful swan, dancing in the middle of the downpour

All the world's your stage, and every eye is fixed on you

You've got heart, and nobody can ever take that away from you

Give them what they came for, the indomitable human spirit!

 **Post-Ending**

The police finished questioning the witnesses. The six Detective Boys and Shiro exited the police station, where their parents/guardians were waiting.

Overcome with emotion, Eri embraced Conan and Nancy. She might've even shed a few tears. Kogoro stood there coolly, but Conan and Nancy could tell that he was relieved too.

When Conan, Nancy, and Haibara saw Masumi standing there, they walked up to her.

"That was some day, huh?" Masumi said.

Haibara nudged Masumi. "Don't you have something you'd like to tell Kudo-kun and Mouri-chan?"

Masumi sighed. "Yeah, I do."

 **Scene Transition**

"...And that's my condition," Masumi concluded.

Why didn't I ever think of that? Conan thought with a deadpan look.

"...So, Ran, I know you're wondering why I was looking you up online during the Love Seminar event, right?" Masumi said.

"You don't have to explain," Nancy said. "As my 'guardian', whatever that may entail, you felt it best to use that time to research me so as to best know how to protect me, right?"

Masumi nodded.

"But that does raise one question," Conan said. "If you were looking up Ran then, does that mean there's nobody who you, well, like? In a romantic way, I mean."

Masumi blushed. "I-I'm not going to answer that question! Anyhow, Kudo, I understand how you would've seen my behavior in a negative light. I'm sorry for not explaining when we first met."

Conan signaled like "come closer". Masumi bent down and he whispered in her ear:

"Don't think that I've forgotten."

Does this mean...That nothing is forgiven? she thought, heartbroken.

"...what you did for Ran, back there. And what you did for Haibara. You protected my friends with your own life, and that's a debt I'll never be able to repay. You are nothing short of a good person, and I am truly sorry for the way that I've treated you. I hope that, looking forward, the two of us may one day come to be good friends."

Tears began to well up in Masumi's eyes. She stood upright and looked down at Conan and Nancy with a smile.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Then she ran off before she could embarrass herself.

"What did you say to her?" Haibara asked.

"N-nothing," Conan said sheepishly.

"I do have one last question," Nancy said. "What the heck was with...?"

"Oh, you mean the code I used in that game of Scrabble, right?" Conan said. "What we're the numbers, letters, and symbols I used there? In that very first thing that I laid out."

It was:

F T

L 4 7 -

L

The middle left L was rotated 180 degrees clockwise. The bottom left L was rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise. The middle top F was rotated counterclockwise 90 degrees. The middle 4 was rotated 180 degrees clockwise. The top right T was rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise.

The second thing was:

\- "

/ ? \

The question mark was rotated 180 degrees.

"Hold on," Haibara said, finally getting it. "Don't tell me that was..."

The string of digits bore a strong resemblance to the Japanese kanji character 遊ぶ ( _asobu_ ), which means "play". It was an invitation to any of the hostages who understood that type of covert message.

"I can't believe you communicated with other people like that," Haibara said.

"Communicated like what?" Nancy asked. "I don't get it."

"I can't believe that he was able to understand it," Conan said, referring to Shiro Ayamori.

"Well, like you, he has the mind of an adult," Haibara said. "And not only that, but he was one of the highest ranking operatives of that Organization."

Before he ingested the shrinking pill, Shiro was known as Ryusuke Higo, AKA Rum.

 **End of Episode**


End file.
